On Pitt women’s soccer team’s senior day, it was Adi Bianchin who stole the show, netting her first career hat-trick while amassing five goals over the last two games, leading the Panthers to a 3-0 win vs Dayton at Ambrose Urbanic Field on Sunday.
Bianchin, a sophomore who made nine appearances in four starts in her freshman campaign, now leads the Panthers in goals (5) and points (12) on the season.
“Going into every game, I just want to get a result,” Bianchin told Pittsburgh Soccer Now‘s Rachael Palmer after the match.
“As a forward, I want to make an impact and score. I wanted to send my seniors off right!”
Prior to kickoff, the Panthers celebrated their eight graduating seniors—Mya Archibald, Mariama Dabo, Sofia Doheny, Claire Jones, Sofia Iori, Olivia Lee, Sage Stelzer, and Lucia Wells—for their contributions to the program.
With the result, Pitt (6-1-1), wrapped up non-conference play unbeaten in its last six matches. On Sunday, Head Coach Ben Waldrum saw his team outshoot Dayton, 22-6, while goalkeeper Elli Johnson picked up back-to-back clean sheets.
Maybe most importantly, Waldrum has seen his group, with Bianchin leading the way the past few games, start to find its footing in executing in the final third.
“We’re starting to gain some composure around the goal,” Waldrum stated.
“Early in the season, we were kind of rushing things and getting a little too excited when an opportunity opened up. They’ve done a really nice job gaining composure, putting in the reps in training, and executing on the pitch.”
How It Happened
It was a competitive first 20 minutes with fair exchanges going both ways.
One of the senior day honorees, Mya Archibald sparked the breakthrough for the Panthers.
In the 26th minute, Archibald drove in off a corner kick sequence, cutting past her defender to find Bianchin at the top of the six-yard box.
With a soft, one-touch redirect, Bianchin tucked the ball past the Dayton keeper into the far post to send Pitt into the break with a 1-0 advantage.
Just five minutes into the second half, Bianchin doubled the lead off sheer hustle and positional awareness.
Following a Dayton midfield turnover, Pitt played a long ball toward the Flyers’ 18-yard box. Sage Stelzer battled the oncoming Dayton netminder Avery Strohecker in a high collision; Stelzer poked the ball free out of the scrum, then sent a perfectly placed low cross into the goal box to find, where Bianchin arrived right on cue to tap home her second of the day.
Pitt controlled possession effortlessly throughout the remainder of the half, limiting Dayton’s dangerous chances to long-range efforts easily collected by freshman netminder Elli Johnson.
Waldrum felt his back line is starting to come together.
“They’re a force when we get organized and keep possession,” Waldrum said.
“Really, what we’ve done is limited other teams’ opportunities, so you’re not going to concede much. Elli [Johnson] was very good today on service, coming out and collecting corners. That’s what we brought her here for.”
The hat trick crowning moment for Bianchin arrived in the 85th minute.
Claire Jones played a short corner to Desiree Reed, who recycled it back to Jones. Jones whipped a low ball to the near post, where Bianchin redirected it into the back of the net to complete her hat-trick—the first by a Pitt player since Magali Gagne scored three against Mercyhurst in 2024.
Waldrum was most pleased to see his forward make the most of three of her six chances in the match.
“She’s been dangerous the last few weeks. It’s good to see her converting on those opportunities. We preached the whole time about being efficient in the final third, and she certainly did that today.”
Bianchin now leads the Panthers attack with five goals.
“No, I didn’t expect that! That’s crazy,” Bianchin added.
“But it feels good to know that I put in the work over the offseason with fitness and rehab, and that I’ve earned the trust of the coaching staff. I’m still looking to earn it every single day.”
Up Next
Pitt starts ACC play next week in Louisville as the Panthers meet the Cardinals Saturday at 6 p.m.
PSN’s Featured Community Partner: Open Field International
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
USL Championship Atlantic Division Preview: Familiarity breeds contempt
